Thursday, January 24, 2013

While I was sick ...

I watched a few movies, and one television series. Here are the highs and the lows:

The Shipping News (2001). A bunch of hooey with some nice scenery.

The Bedroom Window (1987). A well-constructed thriller from the 1980s. Not helped by some less-than-sharp dialogue and by Steve Guttenberg as a poor man's Fred MacMurray.

Separate Lies (2005). A slowly unfolding infidelity drama written and directed by Julian "Downton Abbey" Fellowes. The acting, by Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson, makes it worth sitting through, but it doesn't add up to much. And Rupert Everett with his plastic surgery just looks creepy to me.

Ghost Town (2008). A rewatch, but it confirmed my belief that this is the best romantic comedy of the last ten years, if not longer. Ricky Gervais is funny and soulful in a role that Alec Guiness might have played in an Ealing comedy.

Dexter, Season 5. The worst season, so far, as Dexter goes up against Colin Hanks (no, really) as a religious nutjob-cum-serial killer. Still, I prefer a bad season of Dexter to no season of Dexter. Especially if I'm sick.